Scientists cut HIV from animal cells using CRISPR gene editing

The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis.

For the first time in history, scientists have cut out HIV genes from live animals. The success rate really isn’t great, but it’s a big step in the right direction.

Researchers led by Kamel Khalili of the Comprehensive NeuroAIDS Center at Temple University just reported the complete removal of HIV genes using CRISPR, a highly precise gene editing technique.

According to the study, the team created and developed a pair of molecular scissors, which they used to remove the viral genes that infected the brain, ear, liver, kidney, lungs, spleen, and even blood of mice and rats.

We’re still miles and miles away from actually using this in humans, but if it does become viable, it has great potential because it’s quite easy to apply.